EU tekent bilateraal financieel raamwerkovereenkomst met Tunesië (en)

Plassnik: "Tunisia is a pioneer of the Barcelona Process"

Signing of a bilateral financial framework agreement

Foreign Minister and EU Council President Ursula Plassnik met her Tunisian counterpart, Abdelwahab Abdallah, for talks today. The discussions centred on the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Furthermore, they touched on bilateral and regional issues and, in particular, the situation in the Middle East after the formation of the Palestinian Government and the elections in Israel, as well as the dialogue among cultures and religions.

"Tunisia is a pioneer of the so-called Barcelona Process in which the EU and its Mediterranean partners have been working increasingly closely for over 10 years. The past years have shown us that the Barcelona Process is, without doubt, having a positive effect on dialogue between countries and on economic and social development in the region. Moreover, Tunisia is also among the leading participants in the European Neighbourhood Policy, within the framework of which tailor-made cooperation packages in the form of action plans are jointly devised. Here, the spheres of cooperation with Tunisia range from economic issues, the rule of law and promoting democracy to the common fight against terrorism and illegal migration. It bodes well for the whole region that the EU is working together with Tunisia on this matter to establish a sub-committee for human rights issues", stated Plassnik.

"In addition, bilateral relations between Austria and Tunisia are excellent; in future we shall be seeking to intensify the political dialogue and improve economic and cultural relations", Plassnik said with reference to the Bilateral Ad-Hoc Committee on the Promotion of Cooperation, which is due to hold its third meeting in the autumn.

"With today's signing of a financial framework agreement, we trust we have also made an important contribution towards deepening our economic relations. Further bilateral agreements on cooperation in civil protection and in the area of security are currently being drawn up", she concluded.